Impact of digital information resources in the toxicology literature

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study reported here was to assess the degree to which new forms of web‐based information and communication resources impact on the formal toxicology literature, and the extent of any change between 2000 and 2005.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of an empirical examination of the full content of four toxicology journals for the year 2000 and for the year 2005, with analysis of the results, comparison with similar studies in other subject areas, and with a small survey of the information behaviour of practising toxicologists.

Findings

Scholarly communication in toxicology has been relatively little affected by new forms of information resource (weblogs, wikis, discussion lists, etc.). Citations in journal articles are still largely to “traditional” resources, though a significant increase in the proportion of web‐based material being cited in the toxicology literature has occurred between 2000 and 2005, from a mean of 3 per cent to a mean of 19 per cent.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical research is limited to an examination of four journals in two samples of one year each.

Originality/value

This is the only recent study of the impact of new ICTs on toxicology communication. It adds to the literature on the citation of digital resources in scholarly publications.

Citation

Robinson, L. (2007), "Impact of digital information resources in the toxicology literature", Aslib Proceedings, Vol. 59 No. 4/5, pp. 342-351. https://doi.org/10.1108/00012530710817564